The invention relates generally to an illuminating device for use by aviators and particularly to an aviation night vision illuminating device for use in combination with an aviator's night vision imaging system.
There are presently on the market aviator's night vision imaging systems which enable pilots to fly helicopters, for example, close the ground even where there is no additional illumination. However, in order to be able to use the aviator's night vision imagining systems available, it is necessary for the pilots to turn off the illuminating means for the various gauges used in the cockpit of the helicopter or plane. The illuminating devices in the cockpit are so bright that the night vision goggles would be blown out or otherwise adversely affected or compromised by the overloading of the illumination from the gauges. That is, the illumination from the gauges when taken in directly by the goggles overloads the light amplification circuitry in the goggles and thereby turns off the goggles.
Accordingly, an important problem of a helicopter pilot when flying close to the ground at night and using a night vision imaging system is that the various gauges that must be monitored during flight cannot be seen in the dark. Also, even if the goggles are turned off or taken off, it is still imperative that the illumination of the gauges does not enable the helicopter to be seen at night from outside the cockpit.